Camera turns off when shutter button is pressed.

My MIL has a Samsung S500 about 2 years old. Recently she has been unable to take pictures at times. I looked at her camera and could not find anything obviously wrong with it. It appears to have issues in low light settings the most. When the shutter button is pressed the camera simply shuts off instead of taking the picture. It can be turned back on right away.

6 Suggested Answers

Hi,
a 6ya Expert can help you resolve that issue over the phone in a minute or two.
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2 Distance - When the distance between the camera and the subject is too close, the strength of the light can cause the picture to overexposed and be blurred. On the contrary, if the distance is too far, the beam is too weak to shed enough light on the subject. Allow yourself enough space between you and your subject.

3 Shutter - If you press the shutter before the flash is fully charged, the flash will not be able to emit enough light and therefore the image can be blurred.

4 Surrounding Light - Use the fill-in flash mode to create a balanced shot when the surrounding light is very bright.

5 Backlight - Use the backlight control feature when the background is brighter than the subject.

8 Master Reset - Press on MENU button - Press on the right button until you see SETUP - Scroll down until you see RESET - Press the right button to pick up on YES or NO - Press on OK/MENU button for changes to be saved - Turn off camera for a few seconds for changes to be saved

* If it still does not work, you need to send the camera for repair.Just contact the Manufacturer so they could tell you how to send camera safely.

Probably it can be fixed, but if the lens gears are too damaged the repair could be much expensive and you would prefer to buy a new one.
Take your camera to a qualified technician to check the price of a repair.

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Related Questions:

Do you mean when you press the shutter release button, oohing happens?
Are you sure you are giving the camera enough time to focus, before you press the button complete?
Normaly, you have to press the button half way, and wait till the camera is focused. The camera will give an audio or a visual signal. Then press the button complete.
Be patient. Point an shoot camera's sometimes need more than a second to focus.
It is not like in the old days, every time you pressed the shutter release button the camera fired.

So the camera is at least two years old- that means it will cost more to repair than it would to buy a better new camera. Prices have been falling and specs rising dramatically, so don't throw money at this old camera. Sell it (as faulty) on eBay, and someone will buy it for parts to fix their old camera (some people just like a challenge).

When taking a picture, you must press the shutter button half-way and allow the camera to lock in the focus (it will beep) and then press the rest of the way when the moment is right for an instant picture. Is that what you do?

Press the Self-Timer button (right button) until the display shows the desired mode. Your choices are 10-second mode (the camera takes a picture ten seconds after you press the shutter button), 2-second mode (the camera takes a picture two seconds after you press the shutter button), and Double-self-timer (the camera takes a picture ten seconds after you press the shutter button, then takes another two seconds later).

You can cancel the self-timer mode by pressing the Self-Timer button again.

The 10-second mode allows you to run back for a group picture. The 2-second mode is useful when you want to take a picture without fear of camera shake; simply place the camera on a steady support such as a tripod. The Double mode increases the chances of getting a picture with everybody's eyes open.

First make sure that you accidentally didn't turn off the screen by repeatedly pressing the DISP button to cycle it on and off. If that didn't fix it, and if your camera is less than 1 year old, call 1-800-OK-CANON to arrange free warranty repair.
If your camera is more than a year old, a stuck shutter is another common failure mode for digital cameras. The symptoms of a stuck or "sticky" shutter are very similar to CCD image sensor failure. The camera may take black pictures (for shutter stuck closed), or the pictures may be very bright and overexposed, especially when taken outdoors (for shutter stuck open).
To confirm a stuck shutter, put the camera in any mode other than "Auto", and turn the flash OFF (you don't want to blind yourself for the next step). Next look down the lens and take a picture. You should see a tiny flicker in the center of the lens as the shutter opens and closes. If no movement is seen, then you likely have a stuck shutter. If so, please see the following for further info and a simple fix that may help:
http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2009/05/simple-fix-for-stuck-shutter.html

Putting Yourself in the Picture
The Self Timer creates a 10-second delay between the time you press the
Shutter button and the time the picture is taken.
1 Place the camera on a flat surface or use a
tripod.
2 In any Still mode, press the Self Timer
button.
The Self Timer icon appears in the
status area.
3 Compose the scene. Then press the Shutter
button half-way and hold to set the
exposure and focus, then press the rest of
the way down. Move so that you are in the
scene.
The Self Timer light blinks slowly for 8
seconds (then quickly for 2 seconds)
before the picture is taken. The camera
"clicks" when the picture is captured. To
turn off the shutter sound, see page 64.
The Self Timer turns off after you take the
picture or if you change modes.
To cancel the Self Timer before the picture
is taken, press the Self Timer button. (The
Self Timer setting remains active.)
To turn off the Self Timer, press the Self
Timer button twice.

2 Distance - When the distance between the camera and the subject is too close, the strength of the light can cause the picture to overexposed and be blurred. On the contrary, if the distance is too far, the beam is too weak to shed enough light on the subject. Allow yourself enough space between you and your subject.

3 Shutter - If you press the shutter before the flash is fully charged, the flash will not be able to emit enough light and therefore the image can be blurred.

4 Surrounding Light - Use the fill-in flash mode to create a balanced shot when the surrounding light is very bright.

5 Backlight - Use the backlight control feature when the background is brighter than the subject.

8 Master Reset - Press on MENU button - Press on the right button until you see SETUP - Scroll down until you see RESET - Press the right button to pick up on YES or NO - Press on OK/MENU button for changes to be saved - Turn off camera for a few seconds for changes to be saved

* If it still does not work, you need to send the camera for repair.Just contact the Manufacturer so they could tell you how to send camera safely.

Being very careful, follow this pictorial disassembly (it's in Estonian, but just follow the pictures). Don't go any further than popping the top off the camera! Look for anything obviously broken off near the vicinity of the shutter button, or looking very different than what's in the pictorial. Keep in mind it's amazing what you can do with a little glue and scrap pieces of plastic: